


Predicting Tonight

by vicesvirtuesmh



Category: Not Going Out (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:14:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25034539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vicesvirtuesmh/pseuds/vicesvirtuesmh
Summary: Lee said all movies were tedious and predictable, even the Great Gatsby, which Lucy had just bought. But his answer might had slipped when Lucy asked him to predict what she wanted. After all, Leo DiCaprio was one letter away.
Relationships: Lucy Adams/Lee
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

Friday night. Lucy couldn’t believe that Lee said movies were pointless, despite him watching it all the time. Lee had reasoned predictable stories were boring, but moving pictures were better than thinking nor cleaning. And she had just bought "The Great Gatsby" she planned to watch sometime Lee was out. But that was not going to happen, so she was waiting for him to go to bed.

But he didn’t. He microwaved a bowl of popcorn, while Lucy took her blanket. For once, bickering was absent. It wasn’t their first movie night anyway. As their attention was on screen, their leaning shoulders and her hand on his knee became oblivious, even habitual.

However, they were watching The Great Gatsby. Coziness wasn’t meant to be there. Inside their little box of TV, a couple was having their way across the room. In a second, the camera was on a gent, slipping off his bow tie. A second after, said gent was tracing down a lady’s neck.

Lee slightly moved his knee. Lucy’s palm slipped off onto her own lap. She tilted her head to Lee, a smirk perking up on her lips.

“If this does the trick for you,” Lucy said lowly, “I might start pitying your singleness, Lee.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Lee instantly realized in guilt, how trying to keep his face stern and spilling profanities created the exact opposite of façade he intended.

Because as Lucy found the whole thing usual, Lee hadn’t got so used to it. Not when he was pointing out and over-analyzing every single gesture, internally. All of those racing thoughts were enveloped by the thought of Lucy herself.

Lee had admitted to himself a long time ago, he had never laid eyes on someone more charming than her. Also, he had learned along the years she was beautiful inside out, both in distinctive, rather interesting aspects.

On the other side, Lucy kept her limit, though it was a struggle. Years of the man hiding in his shy shell, she had begun questioning if the contents of her heart was mutual. The right description of her would be hesitating and impulsive. Otherwise, the flings would’ve never happened. She gave too easily into the doubt anything would ever happen between her and Lee. 

There were mornings she stepped into the kitchen, while a bloke was still snoozing on her bed. Lee thought he was so careful and secret with his cheeky “Good morning,” and then an innuendo. But Lucy realized the very first bat of his eyes when she opened her bedroom door, was one of hurt and fragility. It was a jab to her stomach which never failed to wake her up.

These mental wars took place in mere seconds. In reality, on screen, scarlet dress straps had just slipped off the lady’s shoulders. Lee groaned and rested his head back on the couch, facing the ceiling.

“And now you don’t wanna see it?” Lucy said teasingly.

“No,” Lee answered, “I’ve said something about predictable, haven’t I?”

“The reviews said the story’s twisted.”

“Well, the reviews say the same thing every time. That’s double predictable.”

“Fine,” Lucy said, pressing the pause button, “Tell me the ending.”

“They’re gonna make love, what else?” Lee answered nonchalantly.

Lucy sighed and turned back to the TV. But her finger rubbed the remote hesitantly with the movie still paused.

“Aren’t you gonna play it?” Lee asked.

She instinctively turned to Lee, only to realize how close they were. She could hear his breath, she could see the graze on his jaw from a clumsy shave, or the rash under his bottom lip.

“Sorry, I-“ Lucy said, looking away, “- just thought of something.”

“Ooh, I predict it’s . .“

Lee lifted his index to his chin and scrunched his eyebrows together,

“Something new you’ve added to your grocery list.”

Lucy frowned at his guess.

“Tomorrow’s grocery day,” he reminded.

“Oh yeah. No, no, that’s not it.”

“Leo DiCaprio then.”

“Nope. You’re close though,” Lucy said, her voice quivering at the end as her heart thumped, “One letter away.”

“. . Leo DiCaprisun?”

“I said word, not syllable.”

Lee chuckled, “Yeah, I was just checking if you were drunk. I predict . .”

Lucy waited and Lee was rummaging for words, any word inside his head. Both of them wanted clarity and body talk would be useless. It had to be heart to heart, but they were too busy denying the most obvious feelings and assumptions about each other. Words would have to do.

“You’re thinking of,” Lee started, a gulp running down his throat.

“You,”

“Me?”

The two said together.


	2. Chapter 2

His words fell to an end as Lucy pressed her lips against his. It felt right, as everything had always been under their roof. For Lucy, it felt the same as going home with stress she couldn’t leave at the door, but Lee would effortlessly cast it off with a cup of tea and fountains of quips. For Lee, simply, he thought it was the only thing he had done right in his whole life.

The caress was soft and sweet, just as the one last Christmas, and the one after Lee’s cookout, and the one when Lucy came home after meeting a rude client, or the one when Lee had the worst fever. The only difference is none of them were scared nor doubtful anymore.

Lee moved away slowly, a gloss glinted in his eyes. His hands were rested on her shoulders as he rested his forehead on hers, the bridges of their noses meeting halfway.

“I love you, Lucy,” Lee whispered, “I love you so, so much.”

“I know,” Lucy replied with a giggle, “I’ve always do.”

She pressed her lips into a gentle, lingering kiss.

“You don’t need to be scared anymore,” she said.

Unintentionally, a few, small drips raced down and marked the couch. Lee let out a long sigh, letting Lucy wipe the damp line on his cheek.

“Don’t be scared.”

The moment was one of joy and love, but a shard of his heart stung. This time, Lucy shared the pain. Four years ago, when Frank first came around the flat, Lee had told Lucy his childhood and his parents. Just like the time she pretended to bear a child or the time a girl came and recognized Lee as her dad. Though Lee had never been specific, Lucy knew there was always something about him and the term family and its core, love.

Lucy never doubted Lee’s heart, he was a kind, genuine, loving, gentle, precious man, and she could go on. It was all about his own thoughts filling his own head. 

But this time, she was there, closer than ever, to hold him through.

With her hand cupping his jaw, Lucy tilted Lee’s head down and pecked his forehead.

“Make some tea with me, will you?” Lucy said as she led Lee to the kitchen by his hand.

Lucy put the kettle on and joined Lee’s side on the end of their kitchen counter, teapot at the other end. Lee would roll the teabags, remembering Lucy always ripped them open, and the two had a homey darts tournament of teabags, a teapot's flange for 25s and a 50 bullseye inside. Lee did his lines as Lucy threw her bullets amiss. She blamed the over-qualified referee for that.

The kettle whistled just as Lee scored his second throw. With mugs of steaming tea, the two returned to the couch, the film was now replaced by national television. Lucy rested her head on Lee’s shoulder as he stretched his arm around her.

“I love you,” she muttered.

“What was that?”

“I love you,” Lucy repeated.

Lee chuckled under his breath, of course she knew he heard it the first time.

After an hour of chatting and complaining about the worst programs and annoying ads around midnight, the two had moved to the vertical part of couch, laying next to each other, tucked under Lucy’s blanket. Lee gradually realized Lucy’s replies were becoming more slurred and silent, as he turned to see her eyes closed and a residue of a smile on her lips.

With his arm circled around Lucy’s waist and his chin rested just on the top of her head, Lee drifted to sleep.

The next morning, Tim and Daisy came around. Daisy stepped in first and quickly hushed herself and Tim at the sight of the couple sleeping sound. Daisy stayed at the door, while Tim tip toed into the room.

He wanted to tell his mate off, but for once, he saw their faces relaxed and loose. He had never seen Lucy sleep so snugly with a blanket up to her chin, and Lee’s toes peeking uncovered at the end. While Lee was snoring softly as ever, but Tim noticed his arms were holding Lucy close and the crook of his neck fit just right for her head. Somehow, these little things told him that Lee wasn’t aimless anymore.

Tim tip toed back to the door and closed the door as softly as he could.


End file.
